Well, I would like to offer the exception. Class 3 national insurance.
The national insurance system is a mystery to many people and voluntary class 3 contributions are often overlooked. But they offer the opportunity for a supercharged investment return especially to those near retirement age.
An annual contribution of £741 – or £14.25 per week – will buy an inflation-linked return of £237 a year with the benefit of the pension triple lock.
That is equivalent to buying index-linked annuity paying more than 30 per cent, rather better than the 2.5 per cent or so on offer from insurers.
The opportunity is there for those who are retired, but below state pension age and have a projected state pension income of less than £159.55 per week – the level of the new state pension.
Steve Webb, director of policy at Royal London, told me he has estimated about 1m people could benefit. His numbers are based on teachers, nurses, police and other workers who were contracted out for several years and will not have built up much state earnings related pension (Serps) or state second pension.
They are likely to have much closer to the basic state pension of £122.30 per week.
Every year’s extra NI credit they earn after April 2016 will boost their state pension by £4.55 per week.
So why is not every early retired person being directed towards Class 3? All right, some, such as those on certain benefits and men over 63-and-a-half get automatic credits while others may expect to receive benefits such as pension credit, but otherwise Class 3 looks untouchable.
Someone who retires at 60 could over the next six years boost their annual state pension by £1,422 for an investment of £4,446 based on today’s rates.
This begs a number of questions, not least whether those sold small, low-rate annuities who are still below retirement age should be allowed to cash them in and use the money to boost their state pension.
Certainly it looks the ideal option for a chunk of any pension taken as a lump.
These benefits have only really materialised since the new state pension was launched in April last year. Although people are allowed to top up retrospectively for up to six years, for most who have 30 years' credits under the old system, it will not be worth going beyond April 2016.
Mr Webb tells me that Royal London has had 70,000 downloads of its factsheet Topping up your State Pension. I am not surprised. But while he is out there spreading the message, the government is keeping ominously quiet about this lucrative option.
Dual priced car sales
Have you tried to buy a car recently? It is not a pleasant experience. I went to one garage supposedly running a promotion with new cars at £500 over cost.
I walked out after two hours when I could not get a cash price. All the salesman was interested in was selling me a personal contract plan (PCP).
I went to another dealership looking at another car. Once again, the salesmen only wanted to sell a PCP. Incredibly, the price was higher if I want to pay cash.
This sort of dual pricing – with a cheaper loan if you took insurance – was barred in the mortgage world more than two decades ago. Yet dual pricing is rife in the car sales industry.
Car dealerships and their sales staff are now tools of banks and loan companies, there to push credit indiscriminately at customers.
When this happened in the banking world it ended in tears for the industry and customers. I suspect the car industry will go the same way.
This is the FCA’s territory. It needs to take a much firmer grip on this sector because consumers are being taken for a ride even if they do not yet realise it.
Miserable election result
The election result left me feeling thoroughly miserable for one reason above all else. Philip Hammond is to remain in place at the Treasury.
I fear that means a renewed assault on the self-employed – unless the Tories have learned the lessons of the election campaign.
That is, if you assault your core voters – and for the Tories that is pensioners, homeowners and the self-employed – they will kick back.
They have dumped plans to squeeze pensioners, but what about probate tax, Class 4 national insurance rises and filing tax returns every quarter?
Mr Hammond and his colleagues might need another reality check when we are next dragged kicking and screaming to the polls.
Tony Hazell writes for the Daily Mail's Money Mail section
